An Emmy and Edward R. Murrow winning journalist with two decades of experience covering news, Brett actually didn’t start out as a journalist. He’s certified to teach and spent several years teaching eighth-grade American History. “Teaching was one of the hardest and most rewarding jobs I’ve ever held,” said Thomas.

But since a young age he’d wanted to be a journalist like Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather. He decided to go back to school to get a Master’s Degree in Journalism from the University of Kansas.

After a year in Lansing, Michigan, Brett moved to Grand Rapids and spent the next 17 years reporting, anchoring and managing newscasts at WOOD-TV before moving to Fort Wayne to serve as main anchor in 2015.

During his years in Michigan he garnered numerous awards for his investigative reporting and writing. One of his proudest achievements came when he received an Emmy for exposing dangerous procedures that led to the death of a young girl at a local hospital. Due to his reporting, the hospital made dramatic changes to protect the lives of future patients. He also has been named Reporter of the Year by the Associated Press, and recognized for his writing ability by the Michigan Association of Broadcasters and the Associated Press.

In 2016, Brett was awarded two Emmy’s as well as a prestigious regional Edward R. Murrow Award for writing.

If you catch a bit of “twang” in his voice, it’s probably because Brett grew up in the small town of Coffeyville, Kansas. It’s situated on the Oklahoma border and not too far from Arkansas. A Midwesterner through and through, Brett felt immediately welcome in Fort Wayne. “I was struck by the kindness of the people here and immediately felt like I was coming home.”

When he’s not anchoring newscasts Brett loves to camp, fish, bike and explore new places and towns. “Fort Wayne is a vibrant, beautiful city and Northeast Indiana is dotted with so many amazing lakes and hidden gems. It is an exciting place to live and wholesome place to raise a family,” said Thomas.

Brett is married, with two school age daughters. He’s also an animal lover with two large dogs and a cat. You should expect to see the Thomas family out and about, because they love to explore and travel around Northeast Indiana.